Apparatus for applying pulverized or shredded material to the interior of tubular articles



HREDDED MATERIAL April 2-1, 1925.

I vENTE'JR LUEIEN' I. YE DMHNE Q MM'UQMG --w ATTYEL Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES A 1,534,627 PATENT OFFICE.

LUCIEN I. YEOMANS, or CHICAGG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 PIONEER PRODUCTION COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, a CO-ELFSRATIGN er ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS non. APPLYING rutvnniznn or. SHREDBED MATERIAL TO THE IN- TERIOE or TUBULAR ARTICLES.

Application filed May 1,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIEN I. YEOMANS.'

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Applying Pulverized or Shredded Material to the Interior of Tubular Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has special, although not exclusive, reference to the production of foundry molds used in casting long tubular articles as, for example, cast-iron pipes and the like.

It is customary to coat the sand facing of a foundry mold with powdered anthracite coal or other suitable material, commonly called blacking. The purpose of the blacking is to ensure a smooth clean casting surface to which the sand does notjbecome burned and adhere. The heat from the poured metal gasifies the blacking and the gas acts as a blanket until the iron sets.

When the form and dimensions of the mold permit, the blacking isapplied in dry form by means of a brush. Sand molds which can be coatedwith dry blacking are Jknown as green-sand molds and can be poured at once or as soon as the core is set.

Attempts have been made to apply a dry coating of blacking to long molds of small diameter, such as pipe molds, but such attempts have not been commercially success ful. I The standard practice in applying blacking to pipe molds of relatively small diameter is to mix the blacking with water and pour it down the molds, after which the mold must be dried, becoming what is known as a dry-sand mold; The drying operation is very expensive, requires a large,

amount of space and hampers the carrying out of a continuous process of molding and pouring the castings.

As applied to the pipe-casting industry, the purpose of the present invention is to render possible the application of blacking in dry formto the interior of molds of relatively small diameter, thus obviating the necessity of drying the mold.

The accompanying drawing represents diagrammatically,an apparatus for applying blacking to the interior of pipe molds of small diameter.

1922. serial No. 557,633.

In the drawing, A represents a pipe mold having a sand tracing vA. The blackingapplying apparatus comprises meansfor circulating air charged with blacking through the mold until sufiicient blacking adheres to the sand. The means herein shown for this purpose comprises a fan 1 orother means for inducing a circulation of air through a circuit comprising pipes 2, a tubular support 3 upon which the pipe mold may stand in upright position, and a cap or hood 4 adapted to fit upon the upper end of the pipe mold. Any suitable means may be employed to provide a sufliciently air-tight connection between the ends of the pipe inold and the parts 3 and 4. For example, the support 3 may have a covering 5 of felt on which the mold rests, and the lower side of the cap 4 may havea similar covering 6 offelt.

Anysuitable provision may be made for facilitating the insertion of the pipe mold into the blacking-applying apparatus and its removal therefrom. Herein the cap 4 is shown as hinged at 7 so that it may be swung upwardly out of engagement with the pipe mold to permit the withdrawal of the latter and the substitution of another mold to be blacked.

At a suitable point in the circuit, means is provided forintroducing blacking. Herein is shown avhopper 8 having any ordinary feeding means arranged to be operated by means of a hand crank 9. The blacking discharged from the hopper 8 falls into the line of piping forming the circuit and is carried through the circuit by the air current induced by the fan 1.

7 It is desirable, although not essential, that the fan 1 be operated continuously. In order that this may be practicable, I provide a pipe 10 arranged to communicate with the circuit at points at opposite sides of the fan 1 and at opposite sides of the gap in the circuit into which the mold is inserted. The means herein shown for controlling communication between the pipe 10 and the main circuit includes two threeway valves 11 located at the juncture of the ends of the pipe 10 with the pipes 2. Any preferred means may be employed to operate the valves 11 simultaneously, as, for example, a sprocket chain 12 extending over ing the interior of tubular articles of sprocket wheels 13 fixed to the oscillatory valve members of the valves 11.

In operation, the velocity of the air while passing through the mold should be slow enough to prevent' any damage to the mold through carrying off particles oi sand, and to allow the particles of blacking to become deposited on the sand. H the piping outside of the mold were of the same internal diameter as or larger than the mold, blacking would settle in the piping. Consequently I make the pipes 2 of smaller diameter, as herein shown, whereby the air has a greater velocity while passing through the piping and will pick up and carry the blacking instead of depositing it, and will deposit the blacking only at the lower velocity obtaining in the mold. WVhen the proper amount of blacking has been applied to the mold, the valves 11 are operated to establish communication between the pipes 2 and the pipe 10 and to cut off the flow of air through the support 3 and the cap l. The mold is then replaced with another, and the valves 11 operated to establish communication between the pipes 2 and the support 3 and the cap 4, and cut off communication between the pipes 2 and the pipe 10.

Inasmuch as the blacking is moved through a closed system, there is no waste of blacking.

It will be apparent that the invention herein disclosed is susceptible of use in coatvar1- ous sorts with any desired material capable of being suspended in a current of air. The apparatus herein shown may also be employed to circulate any desired gas or miX- ture of gases (whether charged with powdered material or not) through a tubular article. I therefore desire that the following claims shall be construed broadly.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus for applying blacking in dry form to the interior walls of pipe mold having, in combination, a tubular support upon which the pipe mold may stand in upright position, a cap movably supported for movement into and out of en gageme'nt with the upper end of the pipe mold, a conduit connecting said support and said cap, a fan for inducing a current oi. air through said conduit, the cap, the pipe mold and the support, means for introducing blacking into said conduit, a pipe arranged to communicate with said conduit at points at opposite sides of said fan, and valves controlling communication between said pipe and said conduit, said conduit be ing of smaller internal diameter than the pipe mold.

2. An apparatus for applying blacking in dry form to the interior walls of a pipe mold having, in combination, a tubular support upon which the pipe mold may stand in upright position, a cap movably supported for movement into and out of engagement with the upper end 01 the pipe mold, a conduit connecting said support and said cap, a fan for inducing a current of air through said conduit, the cap, the pipe mold and the support, and means for introducing blacking into said conduit, said conduit being of smaller internal diameter than the pipe mold.

3. An apparatus for applying powdered material or the like to the interior walls of a tubular article comprising a fluid-conducting circuit having a gap into which the article may be inserted to form a part of the circuit, means for inducing a iiow oi fluid through the circuit, a pipe connected to the circuit at opposite sides of said gap, means for controlling communication between said pipe and the circuit, and means i for introducing powdered material or the like intothe circuit.

l. An apparatus for blacking greensand pipe-molds of relatively small diameter comprising means to circulate a blackingladen air current through the mold to permit the deposition of dry blacking on the interior walls of the mold.

5. An apparatus for applying powdered material or the like to the interior walls of a tubular article comprising an air-conducting circuit having a gap into which the article may be inserted to form a. part of the circuit, means for introducing such material into said circuit, and means for inducing a current of air in the circuit.

6. An apparatus for applying powdered material or the like to the interior walls of a tubular article comprising an air conducting circuit having a gap into which the arti cle may be inserted to form a part of the circuit, means for introducing such material into said circuit, and means for causing the air to flow in the circuit.

7 The combination of a system of pipes adapted to be connected to opposite ends of a tubular article, a fan to circulate air through said piping and tubular article, said piping being of smaller diameter than said article, and means for introducing coating material into the air stream for circulation through said article.

8. An apparatus for treating the interior walls of a tubular article comprising a gasconducting circuit having a gap in which the article may be inserted to form a part of the circuit, means for inducing a flow of gas through the circuit, a pipe connected to the circuit at opposite sides of said gap, and means for controlling communication between said pipe and the circuit.

9. In a device for treating the interior walls of a tubular article, a main conduit forming a fluid conducting circuit, and an auxiliary conduit connected to the main conduit to form a by-path for the fluid, said main conduit being adapted for insertion of the article toform a section thereof.

10. In a device for treating the interior walls of a tubular article, a main conduit forming a fluid conducting circuit and an auxiliary conduit connected to the main circuit to form a by-path for the fluid, said main conduit being adapted for insertion of the article to form a section thereof, and means for regulating the flow or fluid through said auxiliary conduit.

11. An apparatus for applying powdered material or the like to the interior walls of a tubular article comprising a main conduit adapted as a fluid conducting circuit, means for inducing a flow of fluid through the circuit, means for introducing powdered material or the like into the circuit and an auxiliary conduit connecting two points of the main conduit to form a by-path between said points, said main conduit being adapted for insertion of the tubular article therein between said points.

12. An apparatus for applying powdered material or the like to the interior walls of a tubular article comprising a main conduit adapted as a fluid conducting circuit, means for inducing a flow of fluid through the circuit, means for introducing powdered material or the like into the circuit and an auxiliary conduit connecting two points of the main conduit to form a by-path between said points, said main conduit being adapted for insertion of the tubular article therein between said points to form a section of the main conduit, and means operable to selectively control the passage of fluid through the main conduit and tubular article, and said by-path respectively.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

LUCIEN I. YEOMAN S. 

